


there are nine constellations

by amaryllises



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, idk man i just wanted the good boys to survive
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-08
Updated: 2017-11-08
Packaged: 2019-01-30 23:17:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12663459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amaryllises/pseuds/amaryllises
Summary: [MAJOR NDRV3 SPOILERS]“W-well uh, this is pretty stupid… but I noticed, all these murders seemed to have a flaw that happened to it. Obviously, nothing went according to their elaborate plan that they had confessed.”The training trio conduct their own investigations.(aka me being a sucker for a semi-happy ending)





	there are nine constellations

**Author's Note:**

> my only motivation for posting fics is that i'll never be as good as summer love

Momota Kaito grips his loose jacket sleeve, and pulls it closer to him. He’s already protested once, but to no avail. Now, he simply slumps back.

 

He hears Ouma say, “b-but that’s not your style… You would rather… kill from the shadows...” and out of the blue, her grasp loosens, and Ouma tumbles out, his hands gingerly clasping around his throat. He continues to wheeze, having been on the verge of asphyxiation, but through all his breathing troubles, he manages to cough out:

 

“Harukawa Maki is the Super High School Level Assassin.”

 

Harukawa’s face tells the tale, and she stomps off, fingers combing through her pigtail, past the statue. Flinging open the door, she walks directly into her dorm room.

 

* * *

 

“I want to try to talk to Harukawa,” Kaito states, as he and Saihara walk back to their dorms from the trial grounds. It’s well into nighttime, and Kaito can see the eerie glow of the stars. He finds it strange how he struggles to identify any constellations.

 

“Eh?” Saihara exclaims, surprised. “B-but she’s-”

 

“So what?” Kaito scoffs, and Saihara looks at him wearily.

 

“What if she,” Saihara hesitates, and diverts his gaze, “tries to kill you?”

 

“Didn’t expect my sidekick to be this fuckin’ blunt. Anyways,” he pounds his fists together, as he does normally, “I don’t believe Harukawa would kill someone. She’s just… not like that.”

 

Saihara frowns. “You know, you can’t have blind trust in everyone.”

 

It’s silent for a few seconds, as Kaito opens the door, he and Saihara entering.

 

Kaito grins. “It’s not blind. I know what I’m doing.”

 

“Whatever you say…” Saihara replies, as he opens his dorm’s door.

 

Kaito doesn’t respond; instead he enters his dorm room, and shuts the door, making sure to lock it, as a safety precaution. He silently prepares for his eventual conversation. Should he start with his iconic motto, “I’m Momota Kaito, Luminary of the Stars!” or with another of his zingers. Nevertheless, Kaito seriously doubts Harukawa would try to kill him. It’s his intuition; he trusts it the most.

 

Besides, it would be Ouma first.

 

Kaito suddenly coughs. Mild hacking coughs. He shrugs it off. Must be a cold. He mentally reminds himself to check the warehouse for medication the next morning, after he talks to Harukawa.

 

He falls backwards on his bed, and closes his eyes, strangely eager for the morning.

 

* * *

 

Momota Kaito rings the doorbell. Once. Then twice. Thrice. Four times.

 

It's the day after Monokuma gathered them all to the gym, and pressed whatever into Saihara’s hand. After Yonaga snatched the Necronomicon. Kaito was pretty confident Harukawa was there. He chooses to believe it's because she's warming up, instead of it being mandatory.

 

Kaito doesn’t hear any telltale sounds inside the dormitory, but he doubts Harukawa left, in light of her current situation: being outcasted for murdering a bunch of people before.

 

Kaito, personally, finds it silly.

 

“What are you doing, Momota? It’s early,” Gokuhara notes. Kaito didn’t notice him exit his dorm, so he nearly screams out of shock.

 

“Trying to talk to Harukawa,” Kaito replies, still repetitively pushing the doorbell. It’s almost like a rhythm now. He presses it to the tune of _Take On Me._ “What about you, big guy?”

 

“Gonta sees! That is very gentlemanly,” Gokuhara nods, and opens the glass door, to take a peek outside. “Gonta will be looking for bugs again. Bye!” He waves, and steps outside, gripping on his insect cage.

 

“Weird…” Kaito shrugs, as the door slams to a close. He still continues to ring her doorbell. When no response is given, he pounds the door with his fist, carefree, as usual, and not worried about making a disturbance. “C’mon! I know you’re in there… I think.”

 

More of Kaito’s classmates witnessing him doing his routine of yelling and ringing the doorbell to a beat. Only Ouma and Shinguuji attempt to interact with him. Ouma messes around, as usual, and Shinguuji made his concerning remarks, as usual.

 

He’s slightly surprised when he sees the door open, just a crack, and when he sees the red, piercing eyes staring outside. He regains his original composure.

 

“What do you want?” Harukawa asks curtly, as she peers around cautiously. Kaito notices how she has the same grace and superiority as she normally exerts, how it doesn’t seem as if she had just woken up. Her eyes are puffy, and there are circles underneath them, as if she didn't have enough sleep.

 

“Oh, no reason! So, do you wanna be friends?” Kaito replies casually, as if he often asks assassins to be acquaintances.

 

“... No,” she bluntly says, and starts to close the door.

 

But Kaito interjects, both with his words and his arm. “Why, Harukawa?” He suddenly slams his fists together, as per usual. “Ooh! Harumaki! You'll be Harumaki.”

 

“... Don't call me that,” Harukawa responds, frowning. “I don't want to associate with an idiot like you. Close the door.”

 

“But Harumaki,” he whines, and her stare hardens. “Aren't you lonely without any friends?”

 

“Like I said, don't call me that,” Harukawa struggles to close the door, with Kaito’s arm in the way. “I'm perfectly fine by myself. Let me close the door.”

 

“No,” Kaito responds, like a little kid. “C’mon, Harumaki. Don't you wanna meet those idiots?”

 

“You know, perfectly well, that I don't. Now, let me close the door,” she presses more forcefully, and Kaito has no choice but to allow her to shut her dorm door.

 

“Well, uh,” Kaito, scratching his head, yells into the wall. “I'll break down your walls. Not your dorm doors, of fuckin’ course. Your, uh… I think you know what I mean.”

 

Kaito presses his ear against the door, only hearing a slight scoff.

 

Triumphantly, Momota Kaito makes his way to the dining hall.

 

* * *

 

“Well, I tried to get her out, but she wouldn't come along,” Kaito announces, as unapologetically as usual. Despite his casual exterior, Kaito tries his hardest not to seem excited.

 

“Woah! Momota, you almost let a murderer out?” Ouma asks innocently. Kaito notices his scarf is pulled a tad higher than usual. Probably bruised, he realizes.

 

“There’s a murderer?” Gokuhara says, alarmed. “Why is there no body announcement?”

 

“It's nothing, Gokuhara,” Ouma shows his teeth in a big smile. “Go look for some bugs- or whatever.”

 

“Bugs? Where?” Gokuhara squints, looking around the dining hall, in pursuit of whatever lie Ouma had said.

 

“Gokuhara, don't listen to him,” he says to Gokuhara, who dejectedly picks at his food. He sets off on Ouma. “She won't kill shit, you brat!” Kaito responds, as Ouma quirks an eyebrow. “I believe in her, and you know, my belief is never wrong!”

 

“... As my beloved Saihara would ask, do you have any evidence?” Ouma’s hands rest behind his head, grinning innocently, as usual. “Anything that guarantees she won't try it again?”

 

“Kekekekeke… the human trait of trust. Most interesting…” Shinguuji remarks, as sleazy as usual.

 

Kaito simply ignores Shinguuji. “Yeah!” he pounds his hand against his chest. “Me! I can vouch for Harumaki!”

“Vouch for who?” Yonaga asks, as she bursts in, flanked by Yumeno and Shirogane. Kiibo trails behind.

 

“Harumaki!” Kaito answers her.

 

“Atua says, no murderers are allowed. And that Harukawa is dangerous,” Yumeno responds, in place of Yonaga.

 

“Woah!” Ouma announces, in the same, loud cheeriness that he has. “When was Yumeno in Yonaga’s… er… religion?” He pretends to be oblivious, despite being there when Yonaga announced they had formed a student council.

 

“Nyahahaha! Ever since she has seen the blessing of Atua! Mind you, it's the student council!” Yonaga answers, clearly not seeing the malice of Ouma’s intentions. “Ohh-kay! Prayer time!” Yonaga presses her palms together, and raises it above her head. Shirogane, Kiibo, Gokuhara, and Yumeno did it almost immediately after

 

“Wow! Kii-boy, robots can have a religion?” Ouma asks, setting up the bait, so clearly that Kaito himself could identify it.

 

“Please do not interrupt prayer time…” Kiibo replies. “I have been programmed to adapt to situations. In this case, Yonaga simply introduced me the wonders of Atua.” He took the bait.

 

“Atua says…” Shirogane interferes hesitantly. “You have to be a devotee to join the student council.”

 

“Nice! So, Kii-boy, can I join?” Ouma grins.

 

“You will need to ask Atua’s messenger, Yonaga.” Kiibo seems to scan around the room, for the first time. “Oh. There seems to be an absence of people. Namely, Saihara, Iruma, Harukawa, and Chabashira.”

 

“Atua says, Harukawa should, like, not be allowed here. The student council prohibits it,” Yonaga states. Her eyes are still closed, but her arms retract down.

 

“Why?” Kaito asks. He’s confused by the whole ordeal, and Ouma’s interest in Yonaga's “student council” situation.

 

“It is Atua’s will,” Yonaga shrugs nonchalantly. “Atua says murderers can't be trusted.”

 

“But Harumaki never murdered anyone,” Kaito argues back, his palms clenched in fists. “You think she'd try, after this?”

 

Yonaga picks a paint brush from her skirt, and flourishes it in front of her face, her smile growing dark. “But Harukawa did kill before, no? Nothing implies she wouldn't try again. Nyahaha! This is Atua’s will.”

 

“Geez, Momota!” Ouma laughs. “I guess everyone thinks exactly like me!”

 

“You-” Kaito grinds his teeth, not in the mood to fight with Ouma. He realizes he’s seriously short tempered, perhaps he could change that. “I fuckin’ swear, I’ll bring Harukawa over, and you can talk to her. She’s a good person.” Kaito tries to contain a coughing fit, ultimately failing. He coughs, and the room is silent for a few minutes.

 

“Are you alright, Momota?” Shirogane asks, alarmed.

 

“I’m fine. Never been better,” Kaito grumbles. “I’m gonna bring Harumaki here, so you can talk to her.”

 

“Alrighty!” Ouma laughs, as Kaito limps away. “But it’ll be your fault if you die.”

 

* * *

 

Kaito’s standing in front of Harukawa’s dorm again, and he rings the doorbell aggressively, as if his life depended on it.

 

“Harumaki!” he calls out, expecting a reaction. He’s met with silence, so he continues being annoying again. “Harumaki! There’s a… er… there’s a dead body,” he deadpans, and mentally crosses his fingers together.

 

Harukawa opens her door, just a sliver, and she glares at him, yet again. “You do realize, there would be an announcement, right?”

 

“Oh… right,” Kaito scratches the back of his neck, and thinks of something to break the ice. “I forgot. So, uh… we have to go to the dining hall.”

 

Harukawa’s gaze is scornful. “You mean _you_ have to,” she corrects. “I’m not going with you, idiot.” She frowns, and whispers before closing the door, “and don’t call me Harumaki.”

 

The door’s closed, so Kaito wonders what he could do. Drag her out of her dorm? Nah, that was just creepy and invaded her personal space. Make threats? Kaito doubted he could fight against Harukawa anyway, his sudden cold made him weak. Ah, he needed to get some medicine, he realized. Finally, he settled on something: annoying her so much, like in the second trial, that she would comply just so he stopped.

 

Kaito deliberately pressed the doorbell to the tune of another annoying song. Bring Me To Life, S8r Boi, the like. Heck, he even quietly hummed it from the outside.

 

Harukawa finally throws open her door, and gives Kaito a dangerous look. She’s obviously irritated, but Kaito grins sheepishly in response. “Stop,” she says, looking at him expectantly.

 

“No,” Kaito replies, strangely similar to a little kid.

 

“You do realize,” Harukawa’s voice drops to a low whisper, “I could kill you right this second.”

 

“Is that a threat?” Kaito laughs it off, despite his gut feeling to run away, far from the SHSL Assassin. “Anyways, I doubt it,” Kaito raised his hand in a surrender, as Harukawa stepped forwards, “not you not being able to kill me. I mean, you fuckin’ can, but you wouldn't.”

 

“What makes you so sure?” Harukawa asked, crossing her arms.

 

“Dunno! Anyways, let’s go, Harumaki!” Kaito declared, and gestured for her to exit her dorm.

 

“No. And stop calling me that, “ Harukawa frowned. She made no indication of closing the door or backing away, and Kaito isn’t sure why. Probably because she wanted guarantee him gone, before she retreated.

 

“Would you go to the dining hall if I stopped calling you Harumaki?” Kaito grins mischievously. He’s not even sure it’ll work, and if it doesn’t, he’ll need to resort to empty threats. Was she a germaphobe? Would coughing on her work?

 

Harukawa snorts. “You’re sounding just like Ouma.”

 

“That doesn’t answer my question!”

 

“... Fine,” she replies reluctantly, and Kaito jokingly extends a hand, which Harukawa, instinctively, slaps away.

 

Kaito winces and pats his hand, red with a handprint from her hit. He curiously looks up at her, and Harukawa’s eyes seem to widen in surprise.

 

“Sorry. Habit,” she mumbles, slightly apologetically, as she fumbles with her pigtail. She's ahead of Kaito, who struggles to go down the stairs. Still need that medicine.

 

“No problem, Harumaki!” Kaito replies cheerily. “It's all good.”

 

Harukawa looks at him plainly, and dips her head down, walking up. She sighs, and grumbles, “that idiot,” as she makes her way back.

 

Kaito sweats, afraid of how much coaxing Harukawa would need after this. In truth, he thought she was quite interesting, and unfairly segregated from the rest of the group. “Wait!” he yells, at an impulse. Harukawa doesn't look back, but he can see her head jerk slightly to the side, as if she's acknowledging him. “I fuckin’ swear, that's the last time I'll call you Harum- oh shit. I guess that's the last time, huh,” he laughs, and Harukawa stops dead in her tracks. “If you come along, it'll be the last time, I promise!”

 

“Sure?”

 

“Yes. I swear,” Kaito yells back.

 

Harukawa makes no remarks; she goes back down the stairs, and awaits Kaito, who hobbles like an old man. As they walk past the Exisal, Kaito can hear Harukawa silently cursing under her breath.

 

* * *

 

“Your Necronomicon ain't shit!” Kaito yells, and Harukawa lets out a snort. The sudden strain on his vocal cords creates a set of coughs that overtakes his ability to speak. When he recovers, he nervously rakes his fingers through his precisely gelled up hair, and awaits the response.

 

“Kekeke,” Shinguuji agrees, eyes glimmering strangely. “Whereas, your belief in your ‘Atua’ and the Necronomicon is interesting… it would be impossible for it to work.”

 

“Talk like that to Yonaga again, and Tenko would need to use Neo-Aikido on you,” Tenko snaps, launching into a pose, “degenerate males.”

 

“Thank you, Tenko. And no, you are wrong,” Yonaga replies, her innocent smile prancing upwards at the edges. “Atua says the Necronomicon will work. Therefore, Angie thinks it will work. It is going as planned.”

 

“... Sure,” Harukawa disdainfully replies, at the edge of the room. “Who will you revive?”

 

“Uhh… unfortunately, that is confidential, only to the student council members,” Shirogane answers, her finger curled on her chin.

 

“They're planning on reviving Amami!” Ouma announces, his smile growing widely. “For some reason. I don't really care.”

 

“Ouma!” Kiibo’s robotic eyes grow wide. “You are not supposed to tell anyone!”

 

Ouma’s head tilts upwards, and he gives a devilishly evil grin. “Nishishi! Sorry, I forgot about that!”

 

“Typical degenerate male,” Tenko scoffs.

 

“No! It is fine!” Yonaga smiles. “Atua forgives you. However, He would be angry if you try something like that again.”

 

Yumeno picks at her food, her chopsticks creating a tapping noise.

 

“Like we were -- presumably everyone -- was saying, you can't revive the dead,” Harukawa speaks up, when the room goes quiet. Kaito is fascinated by her ability to quickly gain control over a group, as rowdy as theirs.

 

“Why, Harukawa? Ooh! Are you saying that because you're scared of one of your victims will be reviv-”

 

The door bursts open, interrupting Ouma and whatever tangent he was on. A tired Saihara appears, huffing heavily, as if he ran from his dorm to the dining hall. Eight pairs of eyes look at him, watching his every movement. Even Yonaga looks surprised.

 

“S-sorry,” Saihara mumbles, and his hand reaches up, as if to pull his hat down. He quickly pulls away. “I thought I overslept.”

 

Ouma rests his hands behind his head. “Gee, Saihara, you missed everything. See, Harukawa tried to murder someone-”

 

“Do you want to die?” Harukawa snarls.

 

Ouma puts his hand on his mouth in feigned shock. Then, his mouth quivers, and he suddenly launches into full-on crocodile tears. “Harukawa threatened to kill me!” he wails, as they roll down his cheek. As if no one could hear her.

 

“Cut the bullshit,” Kaito replies, as another coughing fit causes him to clutch his sides.

 

Ouma’s tears dry almost immediately, and he smiles. “Aw, man, you got me!”

 

Kaito’s eyes can barely focus when Harukawa announces something, and briefly walks off. He fails to hear Yonaga’s plans, and whatever counter his little ‘anti-Yonaga’ group had in hand. Ouma waves a hand in front of him, and suddenly he snaps out of his trance, and Saihara looks at him apologetically.

 

“Aah!” Kaito yells.

 

“Wow, Momota, you’re really getting old!” Ouma teases cheerily.

 

“It’s nothin’… I’m just… feelin’ chills,” Kaito replies weakly.

 

“This is what you get for defying Atua!” Angie huffs. Saihara shoots her an exasperated look.

 

“I’ll just… go to the warehouse… see if there’s any medicine,” he says.

 

“You’re sure you’re fine?” Shirogane asks. “This morning, you were-”

 

“Yeah! I’m good!” Kaito interjects, and Shirogane seems taken back. “Sorry. I’m fuckin’ great.”

 

* * *

 

Kaito tears apart the shelves, rustles inside boxes, before his conclusion is final (although, he refuses to believe it): there’s no medicine in the warehouse.

 

* * *

 

It’s nighttime, and Kaito heads off to training with Saihara. He briefly stops in his tracks, and surveys his surroundings. Eventually, his eyes flicker up to Harukawa’s room, and he heads up the stairs to ring the doorbell.

 

Harukawa slams open the door. “What?” she demands. Her pigtails are all messed up, as if she was pulling on her hair.

 

“Wanna come train with me, Harum-” Harukawa raises her eyebrow, and Kaito quickly corrects himself. “Harukawa?”

 

“You already asked last time. No.”

 

“C’mon! Please! This’ll be the only time!”

 

Harukawa rolls her eyes, and Kaito sees it as a neutral sign.

 

“Great!” Kaito replies, not really in the mood for arguing or convincing her. His headache hurt too much. “We’re gonna go meet Saihara!” Kaito says, and coughs into his fist. “It’ll be great, you can do a hundred pushups-”

 

“Only a hundred, and I get to leave?” Harukawa asks, tugging her hair. Kaito nods energetically in response. “You’ll stop pestering me?” Another nod. “Alright, fine.”

 

“Wait, what do you mean, _only_?”

 

* * *

 

Kaito feels a piercing pain in his chest on his tenth pushup. It blooms, it hurts, it shatters his lungs. Harukawa’s almost finished. Saihara is halfway through.

 

He resists the urge to cough.

 

“I’m gonna go to the bathroom,” Kaito says, and Harukawa makes a sound similar to a groan.

 

“Momota, you’ve been skipping out a lot. Is something wrong?” Saihara asks cautiously. Of course he notices. Saihara’s definitely more observant than he was in the beginning. Additionally, Kaito doesn’t think it would take a lot of effort to realize that, yes, something was wrong with him.

 

Even Harukawa pauses and looks at him curiously, awaiting his response.

 

But he forces the brightest grin on his face. “No? What makes you say that? I’m on my five-hundredth pushup! Anyways, I just drank a fuck ton of water before I got here, so I gotta go!”

 

As Kaito jogs to the bathroom, he looks up at the stars; the many constellations he simply fails to identify. What was that cluster? Where was the Big Dipper, or Ursa Major? The moon is still bright and full, as always. He frowns. Maybe he should start naming some of his own, as a true astronomer would.

 

As soon as he pushes open the door, and is safely in its shield, he quickly collapses. It smells like cleaning products. Like lemon and chemicals. Kaito can’t really say he dislikes it as he pulls himself up with the immaculate porcelain sink, and stares at his reflection. His hair, as purple and gelled as usual. Same purple coat, hanging off one shoulder. The only thing different about him was his noticeably paler complexion, and rivulets of sweat dripping down his head. Kaito feels bile creep up his throat. He coughs, without the barrier of his purple coat.

 

And watches as red dirties the once spotless white.

 

* * *

 

Harukawa eventually joins Saihara every night for training. Kaito’s sad he has to miss so many of the sessions.

 

* * *

 

“You’re clearly not fine,” Harukawa says, as Kaito shivers in his bed. Two blankets have been strewn over him, and even with him decked in his coat, Kaito feels a chill. His nightstand has an near empty cup of tea that she had insisted he would drink, even if he prefered a soda. Before, she had been ranting about the absence of cold medicine.

 

“Whatever. I’m super fuckin’ great, never been better,” Kaito replies. Harukawa seems ready to launch into a full on lecture, but Kaito quickly interrupts with, “have you still been training, with Yonaga’s shitty rule in place?”

 

Harukawa rolls her eyes. “Yes, it’s pointless. I usually leave Saihara alone. Anyways,” she frowns, “stop changing the topic.”

 

“Aw, man, you guys still aren’t becoming friends?” Kaito attempts to joke, and Harukawa glares at him, but not as fiercely as the ones he’d seen her shoot at Ouma. He’s curious why.

 

Harukawa retorts with, “That’s not pertinent right now-”

 

“Why? Is he too annoying?” Kaito can almost see Harukawa’s pigtails coil upwards in frustration. “If you feel that way about my sidekick, you better talk about it with me.”

 

Harukawa ignores him. “You’re not fine. Do you have a flu or something?” she asks, pacing around his room.  She nearly trips over a pile of rocketship and constellation drawings in the corner. She mutters, “why is it so dirty in here?” She freezes in place, as if thinking for a bit, and angrily kicks it aside.

 

“Harumaki, really, it’s fine.” Kaito notes how Harukawa had stopped correcting him. “I’m not fuckin’ sick, I’m the healthiest here.”

 

Kaito’s almost dozing off, as Harukawa still paces around, displeased. Everything turns muffled, and he can barely hear her mumble, “shit, there’s no thermometers here,” as she bites at her nails furiously.

 

“May I?” she asks, and Kaito notices the presence of her hand hovering over his face. He merely mumbles something incoherent, and Harukawa softly presses her hand on his forehead. Almost immediately, he feels her hand quickly retract, as she curses.

 

Harukawa briskly slips into his bathroom, and returns with an object in her hand. As she walks closer, Kaito realizes, through blurry eyes, that it’s a face cloth, the small Monokuma symbol embroidered on the bottom corner. She places it on his head, and he shivers more; the water she soaked it in was freezing cold.

 

“Harumaki, do you have experience with this?” Kaito woozily questions.

 

Harukawa nods in response. “Yeah. Bunch of kids got sick in the orphanage; I had to look after them.” There’s awkward silence.

 

She starts pacing around again, which Kaito can barely see, and abruptly stops. “Sorry. I’ll go.”

 

“Thanks, Harumaki,” Kaito replies. The light in his room starts to twirl into tiny particles, stars forming all the constellations he was so familiar with.

 

“No problem,” she replies, and as she heads out, she shuts the door.

 

* * *

 

Third murder. Fourth murder. Third trial. Kaito tries his best to look relatively unperturbed until the end, despite the spikes of pain on his chest.

 

At the end, he’s not really sure if he should feel sorry for Shinguuji. He was a sicko, definitely, but he didn’t quite know the things Shinguuji had faced. He was as cryptic as Hoshi.

 

Besides, he does trust everyone, no matter how often Saihara warns him, and the many times Harukawa chides him.

 

Nevertheless, Kaito staggers to his dorm room, complete with the rest of the gang, with three members absent. Or gone.

 

Kaito sees his classmates hang their heads down, in contrary to him, looking directly up. The constellations are still different from what he imagines. He names three: Yonaga, Chabashira, and Shinguuji.

 

 

* * *

 

When Saihara unlocks his lab, Kaito notices he’s more melancholic, different from Iruma, or say, Shirogane, who squealed with delight when theirs were unlocked. Kaito’s among the first to enter with him. He feels less weak, due to the daily cups of tea Harukawa nags him to drink. The latter stands at the side of the room, examining vials -- which Kaito can only assume is poison -- and Saihara stands in the other corner, shuffling through binders full of case files.

 

“Yo, sidekick!” Kaito lightly slaps Saihara on the back, who peers at him from his binders.

 

“Hm?” Saihara absently responds, still riffling through the files. Kaito peeks at his side, and sees Harukawa, still looking through the tiny bottles, not paying attention to them at all. She grabs at the cabinet under the shelf, and tugs it open.

 

Saihara’s still immersed in whatever he was looking at, so Kaito asks, “the fuck are you doing?”

 

Saihara frowns, and then scans the room. When he sees only Kaito and Harukawa, he says, “W-well uh, this is pretty stupid… but I noticed, all these murders seemed to have a flaw that happened to it. Obviously, nothing went according to their elaborate plan that they had confessed.” He spares a glance at Kaito, who distractedly looks around. “Nevermind,” he sighs.

 

Kaito’s eyebrows fly up in surprise. “No, no! It’s fine!”

 

Saihara seems to smile gratefully, and continues. “And, you know, A-Akamatsu’s scheme was carefully planned. The shot put ball, the classroom vent, the arranged books, everything from Iruma’s photograph. And the investigation.”

 

“And?” Harukawa suddenly cuts in, walking across the room, interested in whatever Saihara was saying.

 

“And,” Saihara takes a shaky breath. “What are the odds that Amami was standing directly where Ka- Akamatsu intended him to be? Super low, right? The ball would only be in a certain position, no matter how hard Akamatsu rolled the ball, she modified the track so it would only allow the ball to fall in that exact place.”

 

“And you’re saying…?” Harukawa bites her fingernails.

 

“Amami is alive?” Kaito yells. Harukawa glares at him until he’s at a manageable volume, and gestures for Saihara to continue.

 

“N-no,” Saihara answers. “It’s more like… what if Akamatsu wasn’t the one who killed Amami? The setting and the timing were variables that weren’t controlled by her, so it’s strange how they fit exactly into place,” Saihara slams the binder closed, “What if the shot put ball… missed?”

 

Kaito exhales into a whistle. “So, Akamatsu _didn't_ kill Amami?”

 

“That's what I'm implying, yes,” Saihara replies.

 

“But, Monokuma himself said we had gotten the killer correct…” Harukawa says doubtfully.

 

“Harukawa, Monokuma isn't the most trustworthy source. It's just us, and all the evidence that surrounds us.”

 

Harukawa bites her nails. “Sure.”

 

“What would that mean?” Kaito asks, in exaggerated hushed whispers.

 

“It would mean that… a third party stepped in, and killed Amami, from a more realistic standpoint. I-I suspect it would be the mastermind, since they would know Akamatsu’s plans,” Saihara reaches up to his forehead, as if to pull down his hat (which isn't there), and awkwardly covers it up by flicking at his bangs.

 

Kaito notices Harukawa narrowing her eyes, and tensing her shoulders at every intruding sound, and occasionally glancing at the doorway, as if preparing for something.

 

“What's wrong, Harumaki?” Kaito inquires.

 

“Oh…” Harukawa relaxes, and turns back to the duo. “Nothing. Just wanted to check if anyone was at the door.”

 

“Would you like to move to a place more private?” Saihara suggests, and Kaito coughs harshly to prevent him from laughing. Harukawa’s cheeks redden.

 

“Yeah, my dorm?” Harukawa, surprisingly, offers. Her intimidating eyes stare right into Kaito’s. He quickly stops laughing, and agrees with her non-verbally.

 

“Fine by me,” is Saihara’s response.

 

The trio set off.

 

* * *

 

As Kaito walks between Harukawa and Saihara, he can’t help but to name four more constellations.

 

* * *

 

Harukawa’s room is definitely cleaner than Kaito’s, but he still yelps when he sees feminine items strewn haphazardly on the ground.

 

“What?” Harukawa aggressively retorts, as she kicks aside a pile of clothing, and instructs them to sit on the ground. “I'm a girl.” She shows no embarrassment as she fiercely stares ahead.

 

Saihara looks uncomfortable, but he makes no attempt to speak out.

 

Kaito sits cross legged on the ground, and immediately stands up again. “Harumaki, can I sit in a chair or somethin’? It's super fuckin’ uncomfortable.”

 

Saihara replies with a faint, “Me too.”

 

Harukawa rolls her eyes, and pulls up a chair from her desk, and sets it next to her bed, which Saihara jumps into.

 

“Don't have a chair for you,” Harukawa says, and grabs a small whiteboard and some dry erase markers from inside her closet. She tosses it to Saihara, who starts scribbling something on the page. When he's satisfied, he places it on the bed, where Harukawa sits.

 

“Where’d you get that from, Harumaki?” Kaito asks curiously.

 

“Doesn’t matter,” Harukawa tugs her hair.

 

“Sorry, I'm not that good at drawing… maybe I could ask Iruma for her photograph.”

 

“Nah, it's good. Besides, Iruma would bitch around to everyone,” Kaito proposes, and Saihara shrugs.

 

Saihara’s sketch fills the entire whiteboard, and, although not detailed, it clearly had the important landmarks.

 

“Front door, back door, mastermind door, air vent, books, cameras,” Saihara recites as he labeled all the parts. “Y-you, er, see-”

 

Kaito yanks the dry erase marker, and he can hear Harukawa sigh heavily. Saihara hesitantly gave him the whiteboard, and he continues.

 

“Okay, so, Amami was like ‘I have to go pee!’ or some shit, and he arrived at the back library door,” Kaito says, as Harukawa rolls her eyes. He draws a squiggle from the back door to the center of room. “Then, shit, the camera went off, which Akamatsu tweaked with to lure the “mastermind” forward.

 

“At that time, Saihara and Akamatsu were in the classroom. As soon as the receiver went off, they-”

 

“I ran off,” Saihara finishes glumly. “Without Akamatsu. And then s-she rolled the ball.”

 

“It’s not your fault,” Harukawa says quietly, with a more gentler voice than Kaito would’ve imagined. “I’m sure the mastermind would’ve still continued without Akamatsu actually doing anything.”

 

“Sure.” Saihara raps the end of the marker (which he had taken back from Kaito earlier) on the whiteboard. His eyebrows furrow as he looks down, deep in thought. Kaito wonders if he still would’ve been deathly silent, and sweating furiously, like at Amami’s trial.

 

“So, the mastermind would need to step in,” Saihara continues, scribbling a ball in the right corner. “The question is: where would they come in?”

 

“The rear door?” Harukawa suggests, and Saihara merely shakes his head in response.

 

“Probable, but Amami would’ve noticed, and they might have been caught in the picture. He looked relatively calm in all of the pictures.

 

“If we’re looking by evidence,” Saihara continues, frowning as he imagines the scenario again. Kaito can barely remember; he’s thrown it in the past, but he still remembers snippets. Like Saihara yelling as he ran down the hallway, past the library, where he and Chabashira loitered, conjuring up plans to fight Monokuma.

 

Then, they burst in, with Akamatsu, as they saw Amami’s corpse.

 

Saihara shuffles through his Monopad, looking for where he stored all his notes. Kaito was aware the evidence hadn’t been terminated; he had checked his Monopad after Hoshi had been killed.

 

“The shelf that hid the mastermind’s lair was closing,” Saihara concludes, as he, satisfied, closes his Monopad.

 

Harukawa’s eyebrow slowly creeps upwards. “So, the mastermind entered the library ahead of time, hid in the lair, and waited until Amami entered. Seems about right?”

 

“No, the keycard slot was-”

 

“Dumb Harumaki! There would’ve been pictures from the fuckin’ camera!” Kaito jokes, letting out a lighthearted chuckle. The chuckle causes him to momentarily spasm, as he emits a string of coughs. Saihara looks down, and lets out a nervous laugh.

 

“Shut up,” Harukawa snaps, as she combs through her pigtails.

 

Kaito continues coughing. Thankfully, there’s no blood spurting out of his mouth, unlike when he’s safe in the general vicinity of a private place: his dorm, or the boy’s bathroom. Saihara increasingly grows more worried, and Harukawa looks livid.

 

“I thought you said you were getting better,” Harukawa hisses through gritted teeth, as she clutches the duvet on her bed. Her pigtails seem to float skywards, in the midst of her carefully contained rage.

 

“I’m perfectly healthy!” Kaito rasps back, but even he can feel the sweat dripping down the back of his neck, the way his hands feel clammy and sweaty.

 

Harukawa tilts her head and stares off, grimacing. Then, she stands up, and paces quickly to her closet, where she grabs something. “Drink this,” she mumbles, as she throws two plastic water bottles; one for Saihara, and one for Kaito. Kaito barely catches his.

 

Saihara awkwardly clears his throat. “S-so um, could I continue?”

 

“Of course you can, sidekick!” Kaito eagerly says.

 

“Alright. So, the most probable place for the mastermind to hide would be their lair. We have witnesses to the door opening, but unfortunately, no photo evidence. Nevertheless, it’s the only lead we have, correct?” Saihara hesitantly explains.

 

Harukawa nods absentmindedly. Kaito flashes Saihara a grin and a big thumbs up.

 

“Ah,” Kaito seems to realize, “How’d the mastermind enter the room, if the slot was unused? There’s only one entrance, and it’s in the fuckin’ library.”

 

Harukawa bites her thumb. “I'd assume there's another entrance. It would be stupid to have a public one, where anyone could see you enter.”

 

“Precisely. Like secret passages, an underground elevator, whatever. There would be a secret place only the mastermind would think to enter.” Saihara’s stomach growls, and he looks away sheepishly. “Sorry,” he apologized. “I haven't eaten dinner.”

 

“Oh shit, it's that late?” Kaito blurts out. He was anxious; late at night, his coughs grew frequent, and a majority of them were bloody.

 

The nighttime announcement interrupts them, and Kaito watches the Monokubs mess around. It’s similar to a skit.

 

“Ten or so.” Harukawa reaches into her drawer, and grabs a package of crackers, which she carefully gave to Saihara.

 

“If you don't mind me asking,” Saihara murmurs. “Why do you have… so much stuff?”

 

“I collected some after my research lab was opened, and camped in there,” Harukawa replies bluntly. Kaito supposes she doesn’t want to talk, so he quickly changes the subject.

 

“So! Where would the secret passage be?” Kaito declares.

 

“We haven’t fully explored this school.” Saihara is oddly silent again, and he fiddles with the packaging. “Hmm…”

 

“It’s in a place we haven’t been in yet,” Harukawa concludes. “Maybe it’ll open… after another murder?” She chews her thumb, and looks doubtful.

 

“Yeah. The mastermind would probably have access to it. Or maybe, it’s been right in front of us, all this time,” Saihara lets out a dry laugh, and Kaito looks at him, disoriented.

 

“Whaddaya mean?” Kaito coughs.

 

“Like, it’s some way of taunting us. It’s always been here, but we just can’t find it, for some reason.” Saihara shrugs. “Maybe I’m overthinking it.” He inattentively chews on a cracker, and doodles some incomprehensible things on the whiteboard. Harukawa looks like she’s spaced out, as she twirls a lock of hair around her finger.

 

Kaito tries to speak up (they’re clearly tired, maybe he should suggest a sleepover?), but the doorbell rings. He sees Harukawa automatically tense, and she carefully puts her foot on the ground. One, two, three seconds, and the doorbell rings again.

 

“What-” Kaito is cut off by Harukawa, who shushes him harshly and presses her index finger on her lips. She then points to a corner in her room, which can’t be seen from the entrance.

 

Kaito and Saihara swiftly duck into the corner.

 

“Why are you here?” Harukawa asks, as she opens the door a tiny sliver. Kaito can almost see the scowl on her face, her predator glare. He wonders who’s at the door.

 

Saihara inhales sharply besides Kaito. He whispers, “it’s either Gokuhara, Iruma, Kiibo, Shirogane, or-”

 

“Nishishi!” And Kaito instantly knows who it is; Ouma. His signature laugh could easily be picked off. “I’m just here to check on you, yaknow!”

 

“Why?”

 

“There’s a murderer in the mix,” Ouma says, his tone childish and innocent. “Gotta make sure none of my,” - there’s a pause - “ _friends_ get hurt!”

 

“Do you want to die?”

 

“Is that the only thing you say, Harukawa?” Ouma taunts. Kaito can envision the grin on his face, and resists the urge to pop out and glance back. “Man, you’re so predictable. It’s boring.”

 

“What do you want?”

 

“Nothing! Just here to pop in, and say hello to my favorite assassin!”

 

“Tell me for real,” Harukawa snaps. “What do you want? I’m not an idiot like Momota; you have an ulterior motive, don’t you?”

 

“Takes a liar to know a liar, huh?”

 

Kaito hears the unmistakable screech of the dorm door moving. He assumes Harukawa has closed the door.

 

But he hears Harukawa hiss something indecipherable. Did she pull the door open? Whatever she said, it was definitely a threat.

 

There’s a tense silence for a long moment, a strange shuffling. Kaito risks glancing; he sees nothing out of the ordinary.

 

“No need for _that_ ,” Ouma says slyly. He makes no reference to whatever Harukawa had just said. “I was just wondering where Saihara and Momota was! I didn’t see you guys training when I came back!”

 

“Probably in their dorms,” Harukawa’s voice is still quiet, but it gives nothing away. It’s completely neutral.

 

“Aw, but I rang their doorbells a lot, and they didn’t answer!”

 

“They’re probably asleep. Go away,” Harukawa mutters. Kaito can hear the door squeak, and Ouma’s whispers, as it swings forward, and the click of Harukawa locking her door.

 

“What was that?” Saihara asks, as he emerges from the corner. Kaito follows soon after.

 

“It’s nothing.” Harukawa toys around with her hair. “Ouma was just being a brat, like usual.” She falls backward on her bed, and closes her eyes.

 

Saihara, looking deep in thought, sits in his chair again, and Kaito crosses his legs on the hardwood floor. He nearly falls over, and launches into a cough. Kaito leans against the foot of the bed, hauling himself up. Then, he cheekily grins.

 

“Ah!” Saihara suddenly calls out. Kaito, surprised, curiously turns to face him, and he sees Harukawa do the same. “S-sorry.” Saihara awkwardly rubs the back of his neck. “I just… thought of something. It’s probably stupid. Sorry.”

 

“Well? What is it, _bro_?” Harukawa says the last word scathingly, as if she’s mocking Kaito.

 

“O-okay, so,” Saihara exhales, intertwining his fingers anxiously. “What if the secret passage was connected to a dorm?” Saihara yawned, and quickly covered his mouth, waving it off. “Sorry. It’s the most private place I can think of, and only one person can access it.”

 

“Hmm.” Harukawa bites her nails.

 

Kaito yawns, and his eyelid droops. “Sorry,” he mumbles, rubbing his eyes. “Tired.”

 

“Should we… go back to our dorms?” Saihara awkwardly asks.

 

Harukawa shrugs. “You can stay here if you’d like.”

 

“Saihara, bro!” Kaito nearly yells, and Saihara blinks, shaken out of his lethargy.

 

“What?” Saihara wearily asks.

 

“We could have… a sleepover,” Kaito says in a stage whisper. He’s still tired, but he’s strangely excited and pleasantly surprised that this had replaced training.

 

“Absolutely not.” Harukawa intervenes. “Just go to sleep, or whatever. I have extra blankets.”

 

* * *

 

Kaito blankly stares up, looking at the smooth white ceiling. He couldn’t sleep; rather, he _can’t_ sleep, in fear his coughs would bloody the sheets. Even Harukawa didn’t know the full details of his sickness -- or, illness? -- and he definitely wasn’t going to risk it.

 

Silently, he curses Monokuma for not providing medical assistance. The last time he called for that stupid bear, Monokuma just laughed, “woops! Guess I can’t do anything about that!” and walked off, leaving Kaito alone, with a handful of blood. He wonders if the mastermind really meant it, really meant to leave sixteen kids at each other’s throats.

 

Blissful ignorance is something Kaito often takes for granted. He tries, he really does, to not think of it.

 

“Harumaki.”

 

Silence.

 

“Harumaki.”

 

More silence.

 

“Harumaki!” Kaito whispers, a bit louder this time. “I know you're not asleep!”

 

“What?” she hisses back, her tone annoyed.

 

Kaito fiddles around with the blanket wrapped around him, and the makeshift pillow taken from Harukawa’s bed. “Is Saihara awake?”

 

“No.”

 

“Great- I mean- could I sleep somewhere else?” Kaito’s interrupted by a wheeze, namely, his own. The room is deathly silent, except for the sounds of Kaito’s hacking coughs.

 

“Momota…” Harukawa trails off. Kaito can almost hear her grinding her teeth. “How bad is it?”

 

“How bad’s what?”

 

“Your disease.”

 

“Bullshit!” Kaito brushes it off. “Anyways, Harumaki, could I sleep somewhere else?”

 

“... Would you tell me? If I let you.”

 

“I mean… sure?”

 

“Alright,” there’s a slight hesitation, “you tell me first.”

 

“Why? What if you…” Kaito does an exaggerated shudder, “make me keep on sleeping on the floor?”

 

The room’s dark, but Kaito can almost see Harukawa roll her eyes. “Idiot. Why would I _not_ \- whatever. Just tell me.”

 

“Can you come over?” Kaito rubs the back of his neck anxiously. It’s cramped and sore, he’d been lying in a bad position for a while. “Y’know… I don’t want Saihara to wake up. He looked tired.”

 

“Wow, since when did you care about others?” Harukawa whispers sarcastically. “Since when did…  me more…  Saihara?” she says, even quieter. Kaito can’t hear the entire thing; but he _can_ hear the rustling of sheets, and a swishing noise. There are soft patters that grow louder as creeps closer to Kaito. There’s a mechanical click as the lamp is dimly lit, so it wouldn’t cause Saihara to stir. “Well?” Kaito looks up, and Harukawa crosses her arms expectantly.

 

“Uh, well, it’s not that bad. I swear.” Kaito sits up.

 

“Bullshit. What are your symptoms?”

 

“Well.” Kaito nervously fiddles around with his shirt hem. “Headaches, coughing u- coughing,” he corrects himself, “sometimes my chest hurts, but not like ‘it hurts like shit’ hurt. Just your basic fever, right? Nothin’ the Luminary of the Stars can’t tackle.” Kaito looks up.

 

He notices Harukawa biting her thumb, like usual, when she’s thinking. Kaito waits. He suppresses a cough, and waits, his hands gripping the makeshift sleeping bag in an attempt to control it. Finally he chides, “do I get the-” before he’s interrupted by Harukawa.

 

“I don’t think that’s a fever,” Harukawa finally says, and Kaito holds his breath, and forces himself to tilt his head to the side curiously. Harukawa still bites her nails, mumbling, “it’s probably something less… serious.” She sighs, and Kaito exhales as well.

 

“Alright! See, I knew it!” Kaito cheers quietly, and Harukawa turns off the lamp. “Where do I sleep?”

 

“On my bed,” Harukawa replies plainly. “I’ll sleep on the floor.”

 

“Won’t it be… uncomfortable, Harumaki?” Kaito asks, concerned. He can faintly see Harukawa’s expression contort to shock.

 

“Do you want to- sorry. Just never had anyone…” she abruptly pauses, and frowns. “I’ve slept on worse. Besides, you’ve laid down for a while, right? It can’t be that bad.”

 

Kaito recalls the conversation Harukawa and Ouma had earlier, at the door. “Hey… Harumaki,” he asks, as he crawls out of the blankets. It’s cold, and he earnestly dives into Harukawa’s bed, which is warm, and smells pleasant. He can only describe it as flowery. “What did you and Ouma talk about?”

 

Harukawa’s silent. Yet again. “In the morning,” she mumbles.

 

Kaito snuggles in deeper, before a nagging voice in his consciousness reminds him that he’s in another person’s bed.

 

He shrugs, and decides not to speak up. Kaito coughs. He always took blissful ignorance for granted.

 

He closes his eyes, and the white ceiling darkens into black.

 

* * *

 

“... burning up,” he hears a girl mumble. Harukawa. Everything’s dark. His forehead feels cold.

 

Kaito shifts a little. There’s quiet cursing.

 

“Saihara, do you know what’s wrong with Momota?” Harukawa’s tone is nearly pleading. Kaito risks opening his eyes, just a sliver, and sees a blurry Harukawa tearing at her hair. He quickly shuts it again.

 

“No,” Saihara replies. “I don’t- I don’t know,” he replies dejectedly.

 

Before Harukawa can respond, Kaito emits a small groan, just to cut the tension. It startles both Harukawa and Saihara

 

“Momota? Harukawa asks softly.

 

“Hm?” Kaito responds wearily. Harukawa lets out a sigh of relief. When Kaito opens his eyes, he sees Harukawa, peering over him, and Saihara, who’s right across the bed, drawing and erasing something on a gigantic whiteboard.

 

“You’re an idiot.”

  
  
  
  


“So, what is it? Nothing can stump Momota Kaito, Luminary of the Stars!”

 

“Shut up and drink your soup,” Harukawa replies. She twirls a marker with her fingers, and watches Saihara draw some straight lines across the whiteboard.

 

Kaito glances at the bowl of soup Harukawa shoved in his hand right after he finished showering. The broth is clear, but Kaito sees too many specks floating around. Herbs? He carefully places the spoon to his mouth, and took a sip. Immediately, he resists spitting it all back out. It tastes putrid, like how the smell of gasoline would taste. “What is this?” he chokes out.

 

“I don’t know. Gokuhara said it would help. I just went to the dining hall to get some canned soup, and he added some things in it,” Harukawa shrugged. “It’s probably good for you.”

 

“It’s gross.”

 

“Whatever. Just drink it all, and you’ll recover.” Harukawa looks away. “Saihara, what is that?”

 

“Hm?” Saihara turns around way too quickly. Eye bags and dark circles dominate his face, but he looks more tired than usually. He obviously didn’t sleep well. Kaito knows why. “Ah, Harukawa, it’s just everything we’ve established so far. Akamatsu not being the killer, a hidden passage to the mastermind lair, et cetera.”

 

“Why’s it so… complex? You put way too many details,” Harukawa remarks.

 

“Better to write it now. The details are better than nothing.” Saihara turns back around, and scribbles furiously.

 

“So, it would most likely be connected to a dorm, right?” Kaito asks, out of the blue. “How do we get in everybody else’s dorm? Do we have to get Oum-”

 

“No,” Harukawa responds quickly.

 

“Then we can’t get into any of the rooms,” Saihara frowns. “We _have_ to ask Ouma, unless you have a better suggestion.”

 

“I might be able to.” Harukawa combs one of her pigtails.

 

“Seriously?” Kaito asks excitedly. “Harumaki, you gotta teach me!”

 

“Like I said, I _might_ be able to. I know the basic mechanisms of a lock,” Harukawa says, with uncharacteristically puffed cheeks.

 

“... Would it really be in a dorm?” Saihara speaks up. Kaito almost spits out a relatively nasty spoonful of Gokuhara’s remedial soup.

 

“Didn’t you say so yourself, bro?” Kaito’s confused as to why Saihara often second guesses himself. Maybe it's only a Saihara thing.

 

“Yeah, but,” Saihara erases something on the whiteboard, “if someone who _could_ pick locks, Ouma and Harukawa, _did_ open someone’s dorm, and find the entrance, wouldn’t the passage be instantly incriminating? The,” he hesitates. “The Killing Game would be over, instantly. Monokuma wouldn’t want that.”

 

“Whaddaya mean?”

 

“If someone found the passage in a dorm, whoever owns the dorm is the mastermind. Game would be instantly over, Momota,” Saihara explains.

 

“I see! Expected nothing less from my bro!”

 

“... So,” Harukawa continues, in place of Saihara, “it's in a place only the mastermind and, presumably, a group of innocent people know about. That could be anywhere in the entire academy.”

 

“Not necessarily,” Saihara begins. He looks deep in thought, but ends his statement in a sigh, mumbling, “I can't think at all. We’d have to check the dorms as well.”

 

“What if only _some_ people could enter the place where it's hidden?” Kaito pipes up eagerly.

 

“... Care to elaborate?” Saihara quips. He's chewing on a croissant.

 

“Like… ya’know… anyone could find where it’s hidden, but only a couple of people can go where it’s hidden. It’s a perfectly normal place.”

 

“Oh, that reminds me,” Harukawa says dully. “I need to check something.”

 

“Hmm? What is it?” Saihara asks, muffled by the croissant. Kaito notes his tone is nearly suspicious, but chooses to ignore it.

 

Before Harukawa has a chance to respond, Kaito jumps in, yelling, “I’ll tag along!”

 

Harukawa doesn’t look extremely perturbed. She merely shrugs. “Sure.” Kaito assumes it’s because the location is relatively harmless, or unimportant enough for him to be able to tag along.

 

“Could you guys get me some coffee when you get back?” Saihara requests, still wary.

 

“Yeah, bro! Don’t sweat!”

 

“Hurry up, Momota,” Harukawa grumbles, tugging at her hair. She’s already headed out the door, her pace slower than usual. Kaito quickly jogs along.

 

 

* * *

 

“Why are we… here?” Kaito asks, incredulous.

 

Harukawa ignores him, simply swinging open the door and entering casually. Kaito nervously looks around, before quickly scuttling in as well.

 

Harukawa immediately starts prying at the tiles that cover the wall, trying to loosen them. When it doesn’t budge, Harukawa looks frustrated, and bites her thumbnail. “Hmm…” she mumbles, swinging her foot back and kicking at it. She glances at the window, and tries to look past the barbed wire, covered by barbed wire.

 

“C’mon, Haruma-”

 

“Shut up,” she snaps back. She freezes. Kaito opens his mouth in protest, but quickly shuts it; he hears it too.

 

“Seriously, Yumeno!” It’s a muffled noise, but Kaito can clearly tell it’s the voice of Shirogane. “You really do look like one of those magical girls!”

 

“... Nyeh?” is Yumeno’s reply. “Really?”

 

“Yeah!” Shirogane cheers. “We could cosplay it in my research lab!”

 

“... My MP is too low for that, right now,” Yumeno replies. “Plus, I have to go to the bathroom.”

 

“Alright, so we can go! There’s one around the corner.”

 

“Nyeh! Really?”

 

“... You didn’t know?”

 

Without thinking -- or out of pure instinct, really -- Kaito grabs Harukawa’s arm, and yanks her inside the nearest room: the supply closet. They dive into the dark.

 

“What- idi- what are you doing?” Harukawa hisses.

 

Kaito quickly lets her arm go. “People,” he shushes. He presses his ear to the thin wall.

 

“See, Yumeno? It’s in here!” is loud and clear. Kaito hears the loud creak of the door, and holds his breath.

 

He looks behind him, still nothing, but he sees a flash of movement. “Harumaki,” he whispers.

 

“What?”

 

“Stop moving around; they might hear you.”

 

“Nyeh…” Yumeno replies absentmindedly. “I’m too tired for this…”

 

“Oh,” Shirogane chuckles. “Yumeno, I didn’t think you would still be _that_ lazy.”

 

It’s dark, it’s ominous, it’s everything Kaito despises, condensed into one room, like the third floor of the school. Deep breaths, deep breaths, don’t cough. Don’t cough. If you cough, it’ll give you away. In the midst of his silent chanting, Kaito feels a hand on his shoulder, and, scared, emits a shriek.

 

Thankfully, it’s not heard by either Shirogane or Yumeno, as the toilet flushes right that second. Kaito sighs, relieved that his position wouldn’t be given away.

 

“Idiot…” Harukawa mumbles. Harukawa was the one who grabbed him, he realized. Or it was a ghost. Nevertheless, she drops to sit next to him, pressed against the back corner of the storage closet. Kaito finally realizes how empty it seems: no brooms, no shelf full of cleaning supplies. Why? Instead of inquiring aloud, he stays silent.

 

“Nyeh? What do you mean?” Yumeno replies. The soft tapping noises of her curled-toe shoes reach closer to the supply closet.

 

“Oh… hmm.” Kaito imagines Shirogane placing her finger to her chin, as she does usually. “Well, Yonaga and Chabashira just…” she trails off. Kaito balls his fists.

 

“What's she doing?” Kaito whispers. Harukawa merely shrugs nonchalantly in response.

 

“I don't understand what you're saying, Shirogane,” Yumeno’s voice is childish and naive. “Maybe my MP is too low again.”

 

“Plainly speaking… er… I expected you to be more sad.”

 

“What's that supposed to mean?” Yumeno fires back, in a voice much more angrier than Kaito would expect.

 

“I mean…” Shirogane says, more grimly. “Two of your friends just died… wouldn't you feel a little despair?”

 

“...Nyeh? Chabashira and Yonaga are in… a better place. I’ll have to feel happy for them.”

 

“Sorry,” Shirogane responds timidly. “I… er… nevermind! Let's go cosplay! Madoka Magica! Mermaid Melody?”

 

“Nyeh…” Yumeno mumbles.

 

Kaito holds his breath until the bathroom is completely silent. He waits until he can only hear Harukawa’s breathing. He stands up and fumbles around for a bit, until he can find the light bulb, and tugs on the pull string, illuminating the room in weak fluorescent light. It looks even more emptier than Kaito imagined, the only cleaning supply being a pitiful dustpan. There’s one bottle of Febreeze.

 

“Holy shit!” he laughs, more light headed than usual. “That was a close one! By the way, Harumaki, why would you bring me into a girl’s-”

 

“Shut up, idiot,” Harukawa replies. When Kaito looks at her, he realizes her cheeks are tinged with red.

 

“Harumaki… did you get a fever from me? Are you okay?” Kaito cocks his head, concerned.

 

Harukawa’s face grows more red. “Idiot,” she mumbles, and slowly lifts herself up. She starts observing the walls of the room, pCushing6 and kicking.

 

“Harumaki, why’d you drag me here, anyways?” Kaito asks, as he joins her perusing. He’s utterly confused, but tries his best.

 

“Don’t laugh.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Last night, Ouma said he needed to go to the bathroom, after I kicked him out.  to the bathroom, right before he left.”

 

“... And?”

 

“It’s a private place, that only a select amount of people, excluding-” she gestures at him, “-can enter. Morally incorrect, I assume. I just connected the two together.”

 

“But why a bathroom?” Kaito jokes, using an overdramatic scornful tone.

 

“Do you have any better ideas?” Harukawa snaps back.

 

Kaito retreats.

 

Or, rather, his coughs cause him to retreat. It’s back.

 

Kaito hates being sick. It’s not like he wasn’t vulnerable enough already, but in addition to his wonderful doubts, there’s also physical incapabilities. His arm quickly swipes to his mouth, to cover the wads of spit he coughs out. He prays.

 

His own body betrays him. The first splatter splashes on his jacket, bright and red, contrasting to the unsaturated purple. The other splatter hits the back wall, as he collapses, his hand instinctively pushing on the tiles for support-

 

There’s a rumbling crash.

 

“M-Momota?” Harukawa cries out, and lunges to intercept whatever Kaito set off. But instead of going forwards, it swings backwards… like a door.

 

Harukawa extends her arm to Kaito, who lays sprawled on the floor. Kaito accepts it.

 

A mistake.

 

Harukawa’s face of concern and worry fades into an expression Kaito himself can’t interpret. Her eyes narrow. She’s staring at him, her glare thinly masking red hot fury. She quickly withdraws her hand. “What is this?” she whispers.

 

Kaito lets out a nervous, shaky laugh. “Harumaki, I can explain...”

 

But the bloodstains, unmistakably bloodstains, definitely bloodstains, tell the tale. Harukawa stomps off, fingers combing through her pigtail, past the dustpan, and the lone bottle. Silently cursing, she enters the dark corridor that lay ahead.

 

 

* * *

 

“Harumaki…”

 

She ignores him. Understandable. She’s a good distance ahead, although Kaito can’t really tell the location.

 

“Harumaki.”

 

There’s no response, except for the steady clicks of her boots, that grow quicker. Kaito needs to catch up. He walks faster, or tries to, ignoring the steadily growing pain on his sides.

 

“Harumaki, please,” Kaito pleads.

 

Dead silence. Kaito starts breaking out into a jog.

 

“Harukawa.”

 

The gap is closing; Kaito draws closer.

 

“ _Maki_.”

 

Kaito extends his hand to reach out for her, but she swiftly sidesteps, landing in front of a vault-like entrance.

 

Harukawa gives a harsh tug, and it swings open, revealing a pink lounge, decorated in Monokuma memorabilia-

 

“Woah, bub!” Flustered, Monokuma appears (right on time, Kaito silently remarks), his singular red eye flashing, claws extended. “You aren’t supposed to be here!”

 

“Why?” Harukawa scoffs.

 

“Because- because- grr, you just aren’t!” Monokuma angrily swipes his stubby arms around. “Now, get out of here! Before I call the Exisals!”

 

“The ones operated by Monofunny and Monotaro are probably not active,” Harukawa counters. “Let me in.”

 

“You- no!”

 

“Let’s not fight against Monokuma,” Kaito says quietly.

 

Monokuma’s ears wiggle, piqued by interest. “Oh… what happened to you? Illness got your tongue?”

 

“I- Shut up!” Kaito replies, fiercely.

 

“Well, guess I gotta go!” Monokuma shrugs. “My dear cubs are calling for me! Ooh, and one more thing,” his eye flashes red, “If you _ever_ come back, I’ll kill you.

  


“... Is it because of Gokuhara?” Harukawa finally says to him, as they walk back out the corridor. She’s not even looking at him, Kaito realizes glumly. “That idiot, I’ll kill him-”

 

“No!” Kaito trails behind Harukawa. “I had this for, er, a while. It’s shit.”

 

“And you didn’t tell me?”

 

“I couldn’t,” Kaito weakly replies.

 

“You _couldn’t_ ,” Harukawa mocks. “But you _could_ invite me to training, you _could_ knock on my door until I was ready to kill you, you _could_ force me to become friends with Saihara.” Her voice grows unfamiliarly shaky. “You couldn’t tell me something as simple as that?”

 

“I-” Kaito has no retort. He can only hang his head down, and wish he didn’t have those stupid coughs.

 

“Thought so.”

 

Kaito tries to say something, but his heart beats too loudly, and he chokes it down.

 

* * *

 

“You guys were gone for so long, and you _didn’t_ bring any coffee?” Saihara asks, agitated. The once neat whiteboard is now covered in incoherent scribbles, smudged in parts that were quickly erased. He’s oblivious to their situation.

 

“Forgot,” Harukawa replies casually. “We found the entrance to the lair.”

 

Saihara’s eyes instantly light up, and he forgets all about the coffee. Kaito wishes he could forget that easily. “Really? Where is it?”

 

“The girl’s bathroom,” Kaito nonchalantly shrugs. He can feel Harukawa’s eyes lingering on him, like a target on his back.

 

“That opens up a new world of possibility…” Saihara places a hand on his chin, and looks as if he’s thinking deeply. “Alibis wouldn’t matter, if the location _wasn’t_ the classroom.”

 

“Dining hall,” Harukawa suddenly brings up.

 

“What?”

 

Harukawa looks somber. “Those at the dining hall could easily access the bathroom. Remember? Everyone except for those who went to the Game Room-” Kaito winces, “-and you and Akamatsu. Shinguuji, Iruma, Shirogane, and Toujou.”

 

“Are you implying they could be the mastermind?” Saihara asks, incredulous. “But, I can’t believe-”

 

“Trust has no place here. Nor does belief. One of them is the mastermind,” Harukawa says firmly. Kaito’s fully aware that she's subtly insulting him, however, he makes no remark.

 

“A-alright, Harukawa. I'd assume the mastermind is alive. Their deaths are… difficult to fake.”

 

“Iruma and Shirogane,” Kaito, forlorn, concludes.

 

 

 

 

When Kaito sees Iruma grasping her throat, so eerily alike Ouma, bile rises up his. He coughs.

 

“What's wrong, Momota?” Shirogane asks. “You look pale.”

 

“Nothing,” he chokes out, as energetically as possible, as he looks away from the blue haired girl, and stares at Iruma’s pitiful corpse.

 

* * *

 

 

Two more constellations. He names them Iruma and Shirogane as he blankly shuffles through the courtyard.

 

* * *

 

“Me?” Shirogane gasps, placing her hand on her chest. “I-I don't understand what you're saying.”

 

“... Huh?” Gokuhara sniffs, through the midst of his crying.

 

“Nishishi… what an interesting turnout! Now Saihara’s blatantly accusing the plain weeaboo.”

 

“Yeah!” Shirogane replies. “What Ouma said!”

 

“How can you be a weeaboo if you are Japanese?” Kiibo asks, confused.

 

“Hey! Shut up and listen to Saihara!” Kaito yells, annoyed.

 

“T-thanks. All the evidence points to her. I'm sure of it.”

 

“W-what evidence? I simply do not know what you're talking about!” Shirogane cries out, eyes brimming with tears.

 

“Saihara said it twice. Get with the program, and stop with the pity hoarding.” Harukawa rolls her eyes. “Yes? Or no?”

 

“I-” Shirogane’s face goes blank. “I-I'm afraid I still don't understand.”

 

“Did you kill Amami or not?” Yumeno asks, childishly shaking her fists.

 

“I-I don't know. I don't know what Saihara said.”

 

“Would you like me to restate it?” Saihara asks gently, as softly as with Gokuhara earlier.

 

“Y-yes.”

 

“So,” Saihara starts.

 

He's interrupted by Shirogane, who lets out one of the most drawn out cackle that Kaito has ever seen. “Oh, look at you!” she laughs, wiping away the tears from her eye.

 

“What?” Gokuhara asks. “Gonta does not understand.”

 

“Of course you don't understand! You were written like that, dummy!” Shirogane laughs, and waves her hand. Instantly, she's replaced with a girl with strawberry blonde pigtails. “It's like, so despairing!”

 

“I'll kill you,” Harukawa warns.

 

“You couldn't touch me if you tried!” Shirogane -- or the girl? -- snickers, running her long nails against the podium. “Go run back to your boyfriend.”

 

“You- he's-” Harukawa’s fists tighten, and she slams her hand on her podium.

 

“Oh right, I forgot! He’ll never love you back!” The girl snorts. “It was all written accordingly.”

 

“Harumaki, don't,” Kaito mumbles, to restrain her from lunging at the girl.

 

“Why do you keep on saying ‘written?’” Yumeno squeaks out, speechless.

 

“Think, think! The elaborate executions, the, like, wonderful school. How are they all funded? How are they real?”

 

“We’re on a spacecraft… right?” Himiko answers wearily.

 

The girl stomps her foot, and Shirogane Tsumugi appears, once again, the same wicked grin on her face. “I mean… sure,” she says, timidly and alike the past Shirogane.

 

“I'm afraid I simply do not understand,” Kiibo remarks.

 

“Think, Kiiboy!” Shirogane says. “Written… written… hm…”

 

“Like a book?” Kaito says, struggling to contain the beating in his heart. “Or a play?”

 

“Ding ding ding!” Shirogane bursts out into laughter. “Man, I can't believe an idiot like you solved it! Where's the detective when you need him?”

 

Kaito looks at Saihara, who’s silent and glancing down. His face is dark.

 

“So… you are saying that this is a play?” Kiibo asks.

 

“Sure! Which meaaaans…”

 

“We’re all actors!” Ouma pipes in cheerily.

 

“... This isn't real…” Saihara says quietly.

 

“Hmm? What did my dear detective say?” Shirogane switches to the strawberry blonde girl, and cups her hand to her ear. “You know, I once knew a detective, but she was, like, totally boring. Thank Atua it was as interesting as this one!”

 

“Who are you?” Kaito demands, his fist tightened.

 

“Are you, like, hitting on me?” The blonde girl bites her thumb, like Harukawa. Speaking of Harukawa, as Kaito looked over, he sees her, a tightly contained ball of fury. The blonde grows somber. “I would accept, but I'm afraid you'll die in the middle of the first date.”

 

“You-”

 

“Ooh, but I will tell you who I am! Enoshima Junko, the 53rd!” she says proudly, posing as if she's in a picture. “Now, remember what my favorite detective said? That this place is-”

 

“It's fiction,” Yumeno completes, her head hanging down. “Nothing is real.”

 

“N-Nothing is real?” Gokuhara cries out. He's stopped crying, but now, he touches his arm. “No. Definitely real.”

 

“Not saying your body, dummy! Of course, that's real! Think… hmm… everything else!” Enoshima mimics placing a finger on her thumb. “Exisals, the weird opening buildings, The Gofer Project, your personalities! Aaaalll fiction!”

 

“But… but I'm the mastermind!” Ouma protests, fake tears streaming down his face. “You're just a fake! Right, Saihara?”

 

“Shut up,” Harukawa snaps.

 

Ouma sniffles. “Man, all I did was make Gokuhara kill Iruma…”

 

“Why?” Kaito whispers hoarsely.

 

“ _Why?”_ Enoshima giggles. “Why, for despair, of course! It’s, like, totally the new trend.”

 

It’s silent.

 

“Wellll, to be fair, you weren’t supposed to find out, until, like, way later! Good thing Saihara’s such a good detective, huh? You couldn’t have figured it out without him!”

 

“... Why are we here? Why are we trapped, why are we-” Saihara clenches his fist, and, instinctively, pulls down his hat -- which isn’t there. “Where’s Shirogane?”

 

“Shirogane? _Shirogane?_ There is no Shirogane! She’s fiction, just like you guys!” Enoshima laughs, hearty and high-pitched. “Now, let’s cut to the chase, shall we?”

 

“Why would you reveal it all now? Especially when you could just walk away,” Harukawa frowns.

 

“Oh, the audience is getting bored!” Enoshima responds nonchalantly.

 

“What-”

 

“We’re going off topic! Typically, a season of Danganronpa wouldn’t end so early, but this will have to suffice!” Enoshima suddenly brandishes a pair of glasses, and places it on her face. “So, you can give into the wonderful world of despair, and live in here, free of responsibilities! No more killing game! Think about that!”

 

“... I don’t wanna,” Yumeno mumbles.

 

“Or,” Enoshima’s face turns disgusted, “you can get into hope. Or whatever. Two of you can escape here, alive! Think about that!”

 

“What about all the others?” Kaito asks, his mouth dry.

 

“They suffer the consequences!”

 

“... What consequences?” Saihara chokes out.

 

“You can find out later!” Enoshima winks, and Saihara takes a shaky step back.

 

“I’m not giving into your idiotic rules. We found the mastermind, let us leave,” Harukawa says, her voice stable and clear.

 

“Do you think it’d be that easy? No, this happened to everyone! Now, ‘fess up! Who wants to leave?”

 

Ouma raises his hand excitedly. “Ooh, ooh, Enoshima, call on me!”

 

“Our first escapee! Man, that was quick!”

 

“No, I mean, call on me, idiot!”

 

“What do you need, Ouma?”

 

“What if we kill you instead?” Ouma says cheerily, as if it was a normal aspect of his life.

 

“You-”

 

“This is bullshit,” Saihara interjects, with such ferocity that even Ouma is silenced.

 

 

* * *

“You had the remote control with you _all this time_ and you didn’t think to use it?” Harukawa scorns Ouma, who simply places his hands behind his head.

 

“Nishishi! I have to keep secrets too!”

 

"Er, he's not completely in the clear. He made Gokuhara kill-" Saihara starts.

 

"Stop dwelling on the past, Saihara! Nobody likes her anyways!" 

 

"So, will Gonta not be executed?" Gokuhara says, confused.

 

"Yeah! All because of my magic!" Yumeno responds.

 

“Who would’ve thought the audience got bored that quickly, huh?” Kiibo remarks. “Ever since that inspirational speech Saihara gave…”

 

It’s night time when they leave the academy. Ouma had already made an Exisal destroy the barrier, and Kaito can see the real stars; constellations he recognizes, and he almost cries in relief.

 

“You’re an idiot that needs to go to the hospital,” Harukawa says, somber. They trail behind the group, and Kaito coughs.

 

“Harumaki-” he protests, but she lets out a casual laugh.

 

“Joking. But you _do_ need to go to the hospital.”

 

There are nine constellations, Kaito concludes, as he looks up at the night sky.

 

Amami, Akamatsu, Hoshi, Toujou, Yonaga, Chabashira, Shinguuji, Iruma, and Shirogane.

 

And there are seven more stars, so dangerously close to a supernova, that might rebuild themselves again.

 

**Author's Note:**

> i just wanted my poor boy gonta to survive
> 
> SORRY ABOUT THE RUSHED/TOO HAPPY ENDING because, a) it was getting too long, b) I WANTED A HAPPY ENDING NDRV3 DESTROYED ME 
> 
> as usual, smash that like button


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